AMES, IOWA (January 6, 2020) — Iowa State University College of Design student Christopher Shoemaker of Muscatine won first place alongside fellow architecture students in the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) Education and Research Foundation's Unit Design Competition, which asks students to design a new concrete masonry or hardscape unit that could be mass-produced easily and have a variety of uses.
Selected from a regional competition to advance to the national competition, Iowa State's team was one of three finalists (with Mississippi State University and North Carolina State University) invited to present their projects to judges in August at the NCMA's mid-year meeting in Seattle.
Noah Torstenson, Muscatine; Christopher Shoemaker, Urbandale; and Jasen Langley, Newton, now fourth-year students in architecture, developed the design for their winning "Purablock" with Gregorio Melchiorri, an exchange student from Italy, in the spring 2019 Building Science and Technology II class taught by Bosuk Hur, assistant professor of practice in architecture.
Together, the team created a versatile unit that was, with potential to be used in structural walls, screen walls, paved patios, and more. They also designed a water-filter that could be fitted into the unit's grout holes that would purify water, allowing even more function and versatility.
The unique design has a modern look and artistic feel that can be stacked for walls or laid for flooring. The unit's holes can allow sunlight and airflow between rooms, house grasses, and plants or be fitted with the water-purification system they designed to pair with it. Because the students also researched the manufacturing process, they ensured their design would be economical to produce.
In their competition entry, the team described the product as "a structurally-viable and aesthetically-beautiful alternative to a traditional [concrete masonry unit], encouraging architects to leave exposed what traditionally they hide away, giving the CMU new life in an architecturally-focused design landscape."
Entries were judged by industry professionals and audience members. The judges sought designs that were resilient and energy efficient, adaptable and reusable.
Their unit stood out for its simplicity, environmentally-conscious design, and ease of production.
This is the second time Iowa State has won the national competition. ISU teams placed first in 2017 and second in both 2015 and 2018. The Purablock team received $250 for both regional and national wins, and their design also will be featured in the industry magazine, SMART Dynamics of Masonry.
About Iowa State
At Iowa State University, students don't get just an average college experience. They get an adventure. After all, we offer students a challenging career-oriented academic setting paired with a welcoming campus environment. And above all else, we encourage our students to achieve — and we provide the support they need to do just that.
Iowa State University is one of the nation's most student-centered public research universities and is recognized among the top 50 public universities in the nation by US News and World Report. With hundreds of student clubs and organizations, thousands of internship and co-op opportunities, and more than 80 learning communities, the university offers a student experience rich in academic and social diversity. Students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries choose to come to Ames, Iowa, to study with world-class scholars and to hone their leadership skills.
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Plus, Ames has been recognized as the second-best college town with a population under 250,000. And did we mention we've also been voted one of the top 10 best places to live in America? So it's no wonder why our students love it here.
At Iowa State, students will find 100 majors, 800 clubs, and one amazing adventure.
Learn more: www.iastate.edu.
